Orthodox Christians celebrating Epiphany, the day they believe Jesus Christ was baptized

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Wednesday is Epiphany, a major holiday in much of Orthodox Christianity celebrating the birth and baptism of Jesus. Religious services are held as well as Blessing of Water ceremonies at lakes, rivers and seafronts.

But in Russia, Serbia, Ukraine and other Orthodox countries which observe a different religious calendar, it is Christmas Eve. Roman Catholics and Protestants, meanwhile, celebrate the story of the Wise Men who followed a star to Jesus’ cradle.

Here’s a look at some of those celebrations:
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GREECE

Ceremonies were held across the country, with divers jumping from piers, bridges and tug boats and including school children and members of the country’s navy special forces.

The main ceremony was held at the country’s largest port of Piraeus, near Athens, but left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras attended a smaller ceremony in the Greek capital following a spat with traditionalists in the Orthodox Church who vehemently opposed a recent law sanctioning same sex-civil partnerships.

Bishop Serapheim of Piraeus described the law an “insult to human identity” and “psychiatric deviation from healthy sexuality.”
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CYPRUS
More than 1,000 Orthodox Christian faithful attended the annual Epiphany Day blessing of the waters in Famagusta in Cyprus’ breakaway Turkish Cypriot north. It was the first time the ceremony has taken place since 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup aiming at union with Greece divided the island.

In keeping with tradition, Archimandrite Avgoustinos Karras hurled a silver cross into the cold waters of the eastern Mediterranean as about 20 daring swimmers dashed into the sea to retrieve it. The ritual is called the Blessing of the Water and symbolizes Jesus’ baptism in River Jordan.

Acting as the backdrop to the ceremony was the Turkish military-controlled suburb of Varosha that has remained a virtual ghost town for 42 years, ensconced in a chain-link fence that keeps everyone out.

The ceremony was the latest in a number of recent, faith-oriented acts of rapprochement between the island’s majority Orthodox Christian, Greek-speaking and the Muslim, Turkish speaking populations. They aim to underscore that religion doesn’t drive a wedge between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
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Francis has voiced this reflection during Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Wednesday to mark Epiphany, which recalls the Gospel account of the Three Kings, or Magi, who followed a star to find baby Jesus in Bethlehem.

The pontiff said: “Like the Magi, countless people in our day have a ‘restless heart’ which continues to search without finding sure answers.”
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TURKEY

Members of Istanbul’s tiny Greek Orthodox community, visitors from neighboring Greece and other faithful attended an Epiphany service led by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians in Istanbul, where the Patriarchate is based.

A group of faithful leaped into the frigid waters of the Golden Horn inlet to retrieve a wooden cross thrown by Bartholomew. Nicolaos Silos, a 28-year-old visitor from Greece, was the first to reach it.

A ceremony to bless the waters was also held in Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city. It was the first “official” Epiphany ceremony there since the end of a Greek-Turkey war nearly a century ago that triggered a population exchange between Greece and Turkey. Although the Greek Consulate in Izmir had organized a ceremony 2006, it was the first time the

Turkish government both approved and helped to organize it.

“It’s a historic day here and we’re grateful to the local authorities and to the Patriarchate … for making this happen,” Tina Samoglu, secretary of the Izmir Orthodox Community told Greek state TV. “I feel very proud and I’m filled with emotion.”

The patriarchate in Istanbul dates from the 1,100-year-old Orthodox Greek Byzantine Empire, which collapsed when the Muslim Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople, today’s Istanbul, in 1453.
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BULGARIA
Thousands of young men waded into icy waters in Bulgaria to retrieve crucifixes cast on the waters by priests. By tradition, the person who retrieves it will be healthy and freed from evil spirits all year. After the cross is fished out, the priest takes a bunch of dried basil to sprinkle water over believers.

In some villages, men dipped into a local river and danced the horo, a traditional dance. In the mountain village of Kalofer, in central Bulgaria, scores of men in traditional dress waded into the icy Tundzha River carrying national flags.

Led by a drummer and several men playing the bagpipes, they danced in the freezing waters, pushing away floating chunks of ice. Some sipped plum brandy and red wine as an antidote to the freezing weather.
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SPAIN
Children across Spain woke up Wednesday to open presents left during a night-time “visit” by the Three Kings of Orient, a tradition similar to that of Santa Claus but celebrated annually on Epiphany.

Expectations were raised the previous evening as towns and cities across the country held Epiphany parades or cavalcades symbolizing the coming of the Magi to Bethlehem laden with gifts for the baby Jesus.

Thousands of children and parents thronged sidewalks in Madrid and other cities to watch as ornately decorated floats — including in some cases men dressed as kings riding camels or horses — were accompanied by clowns, jugglers and marching bands.

The tradition spread from Spain to many Latin American countries where Epiphany is the day when gifts are exchanged.
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WEST BANK

The Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy Land, Theophilos III, arrived in Bethlehem on Wednesday for Orthodox Christmas celebrations. He walked along the streets of the city in the traditional procession toward the Church of the Nativity, which is revered as marking the site of Jesus’ birthplace.
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UKRAINE

Rebels in the east said they were willing to release captives taken during the conflict to mark Christmas. It was unclear however, if Ukrainian authorities would be willing to do a prisoner exchange.

The rebels in Donetsk said they wouldn’t engage in a release without a similar release by Kiev. But Igor Plotnitsky, leader of rebels in Luhansk, said his forces were prepared for a release without any reciprocal move by Kiev.

It was not known how many prisoners each sides are holding or how many might be eligible for the potential release.
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ROMANIA

Hundreds of Romanian villagers gathered on the fields near the southern village of Pietrosani, where a priest blessed horses in a traditional Epiphany ritual to ward off diseases and bad luck during the year.

Orthodox priests sprinkled holy water on more than a dozen horses, which were decorated with red tassels, ear caps and ankle bands for good luck. The animals are essential to village life, and are used for plowing, carrying wood and transport.

Horses, ridden bareback, later thundered across the icy fields in the annual race. Villagers drank plum brandy and mulled wine and ate grilled spicy sausages to celebrate the feast while horses dragged logs to demonstrate their strength.
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Bulgarians sing and dance in the icy waters of the Tundzha river, as they celebrate Epiphany day in the town of Kalofer, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Traditionally, an Eastern Orthodox priest throws a cross in the river and it is believed that the one who retrieves it will be healthy through the year. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Pilgrims kiss a wooden cross during an Epiphany ceremony to bless the water at the Athens’ southern suburb of Paleo Faliro on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Similar ceremonies to mark Epiphany Day were held across Greece at the sea, rivers, lakes and dams. An Orthodox priest throws a cross into the water and the swimmers race to retrieve it first. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

One king of The Cabalgata Los Reyes Magos (Cavalcade of the three kings) holds a boy during the cavalcade the day before Epiphany, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. It is a parade symbolizing the coming of the Magi to Bethlehem following the birth of Jesus. In Spain and many Latin American countries Epiphany is the day when gifts are exchanged. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

A boy wearing a crown watches the Cabalgata Los Reyes Magos (Cavalcade of the three kings) the day before Epiphany, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. It is a parade symbolizing the coming of the Magi to Bethlehem following the birth of Jesus. In Spain and many Latin American countries Epiphany is the day when gifts are exchanged. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

Swimmers jump into the water to race to retrieve a wooden cross which was thrown into the waters by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I during a ceremony to bless the water at the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The traditional ceremony marks the Epithany in Istanbul when Bartholomew I or an Orthodox priest throws a simple wooden cross into the water and swimmers race to be the first to retrieve it. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Citizens of Warsaw watching the Epiphany parade in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The Epiphany day celebrates the visit of the Three Kings to the infant Jesus. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Pilgrims try to retrieve a wooden cross during an Epiphany ceremony to bless the water at the Athens’ southern suburb of Paleo Faliro on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Similar ceremonies to mark Epiphany Day were held across Greece at the sea, rivers, lakes and dams. An Orthodox priest throws a cross into the water and the swimmers race to retrieve it first. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

A villager stands on his horse before competing in a traditional Epiphany celebration horse race in Pietrosani, Romania, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. According to the local Epiphany traditions, following a religious service villagers get their horses blessed with Holy water then compete in a race. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Citizens of Warsaw participate at the Epiphany parade in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The Epiphany day celebrates the visit of the Three Kings to the infant Jesus. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Polar swimmers line up before the traditional Three Kings swim in the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The Charles Bridge is in the background. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Nicolaos Solis, 28, from Greece holds the wooden cross which was thrown into the waters by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I during a ceremony to bless the water at the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The traditional ceremony marks the Epithany in Istanbul when Bartholomew I or an Orthodox priest throws a simple wooden cross into the water and swimmers race to be the first to retrieve it. Solis was the first to retrieve the cross.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

View of the people gathered in the southern city of Berat to watch an Eastern Orthodox priest throw a cross in the Osum River to celebrate Epiphany day as people believe that the one who retrieves it will be healthy through the year, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Albania is known for its religious coexistence where the Orthodox and Catholic communities live in peace with the majority Muslims. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)

Performers dance during the ‘Cabalgata de Reyes’ or Epiphany parade in Madrid, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. The traditional parade marks the eve of the Epiphany, a Christian holiday celebrating the story of the three wise men believed to have followed a bright star to offer gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn Jesus in Bethlehem. (AP Photo/Paul White)

A boy is handed the holy cross as Bulgarians sing and dance in the icy waters of the Tundzha river, as they celebrate Epiphany day in the town of Kalofer, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Traditionally, an Eastern Orthodox priest throws a cross in the river and it is believed that the one who retrieves it will be healthy through the year. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

The Cabalgata Los Reyes Magos (Cavalcade of the three kings) cross one street of the old city the day before Epiphany, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. It is a parade symbolizing the coming of the Magi to Bethlehem following the birth of Jesus. In Spain and many Latin American countries Epiphany is the day when gifts are exchanged. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

A young swimmer stands waiting to catch a cross thrown by an Orthodox priest into the water, during an epiphany ceremony to bless the sea waters at Varosia beach, Famagusta with abandon hotels in the background, in the Turkish Cypriot breakaway north part of the divided island of Cyprus, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. More than 1,000 Orthodox Christian faithful attended the annual Epiphany Day blessing of the waters in Famagusta, the first time the ceremony has taken place since 1974 when the small island nation was cleaved along ethnic lines. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Villagers use mobile phones on horseback before competing in a traditional Epiphany celebration horse race in Pietrosani, Romania, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. According to the local Epiphany traditions, following a religious service villagers get their horses blessed with Holy water then compete in a race. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Pope Francis kisses during statue of baby Jesus a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, to mark Epiphany, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The Epiphany day is a joyous day for Catholics in which they recall the journey of the Three Kings, or Magi, to pay homage to Baby Jesus (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

A woman kisses a candle before joining Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, for an Epiphany ceremony at the Patriarchate in Istanbul, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The traditional Epiphany ceremony marks the Epithany in Istanbul when Bartholomew I or an Orthodox priest throws a simple wooden cross into the water to bless the water at the Golden Horn and swimmers race to be the first to retrieve it. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Swimmers take part in the traditional Three Kings swim in the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

An acrobatic performer floats in the air during the ‘Cabalgata de Reyes’ or Epiphany parade in Madrid, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. The traditional parade marks the eve of the Epiphany, a Christian holiday celebrating the story of the three wise men believed to have followed a bright star to offer gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn Jesus in Bethlehem. (AP Photo/Paul White)

People watch the Cabalgata Los Reyes Magos (Cavalcade of the three kings) the day before Epiphany, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. It is a parade symbolizing the coming of the Magi to Bethlehem following the birth of Jesus. In Spain and many Latin American countries Epiphany is the day when gifts are exchanged. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

An Albanian man hands over to the priest the cross he retrieved from the Osum River in the southern city of Berat, Albania thrown there from an Eastern Orthodox priest to celebrate Epiphany day as people believe that the one who retrieves it will be healthy through the year, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Albania known for its religious coexistence where the Orthodox and Catholic communities live in peace with the majority Muslims. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)

Priests line up next to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, during an Epiphany ceremony at the Patriarchate in Istanbul, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The traditional Epiphany ceremony marks the Epithany in Istanbul when Bartholomew I or an Orthodox priest throws a simple wooden cross into the water to bless the water at the Golden Horn and swimmers race to be the first to retrieve it. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Swimmers try to catch a cross after it was thrown by an Orthodox priest into the water, during an epiphany ceremony to bless the sea waters at Famagousta or Varosia beach with the abandon hotels, are seen in the background, in the Turkish Cypriots breakaway north part of the divided island of Cyprus, Wednesday, Jan 6, 2016. More than 1,000 Orthodox Christian faithful attended the Epiphany Day blessing of the waters in Famagusta in Cyprus’, the first time the ceremony has taken place since 1974 when the small island nation was cleaved along ethnic lines. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

An Orthodox priest holds a cross as he is accompanied by a guard of honour during an Epiphany ceremony to bless the water in Mytilene port on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Similar ceremonies to mark Epiphany Day were held across Greece at the sea, rivers, lakes and dams. An Orthodox priest throws a cross into the water and the swimmers race to retrieve it first. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

Swimmers look out of a window of a boat to take part in the traditional Three Kings swim in the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Two boys enjoy the Cabalgata Los Reyes Magos (Cavalcade of the three kings) the day before Epiphany, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016. It is a parade symbolizing the coming of the Magi to Bethlehem following the birth of Jesus. In Spain and many Latin American countries Epiphany is the day when gifts are exchanged. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

Nicolaos Solis, 28, from Greece kisses the wooden cross which was thrown into the waters by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I during a ceremony to bless the water at the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The traditional ceremony marks the Epithany in Istanbul when Bartholomew I or an Orthodox priest throws a simple wooden cross into the water and swimmers race to be the first to retrieve it. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Matt Dayhoff

Matt Dayhoff started as a photographer for the Journal Star in 1992 shortly after graduating from the Ohio University School of Visual Communications. In 2009, he moved into the newsroom as an online editor and producer and is now responsible for helping manage and edit much of the editorial content on pjstar.com.

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